1. Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with staging of the comprising a plurality of decking members arranged in a stepped configuration for supporting a group of people. The present staging has specifically been developed for use in group photography, although the staging may also be used in other situations where it is necessary to support a standing group of people, e.g. at a show or game. Some aspects of the invention are also applicable to staging for use in audience seating.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Existing staging structures for use in group photography are heavy and bulky to transport and are slow and difficult to erect, particularly on uneven or sloping ground. For example, in one such structure each decking member is supported by two or more timber trestles which must each be individually erected and levelled. In other existing photographic staging the decking members are supported by a scaffolding arrangement comprising numerous bars, clamps and other components which must all be connected together. That structure also has many individually adjustable feet which must all be correctly adjusted to avoid undesirable stresses being produced in the structure. There is also a large timber structure in commercial use which requires a team of erectors and a fleet of about seven lorries to transport it.
Generally speaking, all of the existing photographic staging discussed above has a large number of feet that must all be individually levelled. Apart from being extremely time consuming, failure to perform this task correctly may result in instability of the structure and/or undesirable stresses in the structure, both of which may increase the risk of structural failure when fully loaded.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,839,679 discloses a staging structure for use in audience seating in which the decking members are supported by spaced rearwardly inclined trusses. Each truss is in turn supported by spaced pairs of props or legs arranged in an inverted-V configuration. The lower ends of the legs are joined by common bracing bars running parallel to the decking members, and a single tie bar lying below each truss connects the bracing bars to the bottom of the respective truss. This earlier staging is therefore a relatively rigid form of construction and consequently great care must be taken to ensure that each of the feet is individually levelled.